Coin controlled apparatus



Jan. 28, 1936. D LANE COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS 2 Shets$heet 1 Filed y2, 193

I N VEN TOR Jan. 28, 1936. D 5 E 2,028,788

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS Filed May 2 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORflan 440 A. 14/; BY

WWAWM ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE comCONTROLLED APPARATUS Application May 2, 1933, Serial No. 668,907

ZClaims.

This invention relates to coin-controlled dispensing devices and moreparticularly to the coin-slot arrangement thereof. Among its objects arethe prevention of entry or the diversion of a coin in the coin-slot whenthe dispenser is empty of articles to be dispensed, or when thedispensing mechanism is out of order. Another object is to devise asimple and efiicient mechanism for accomplishing these results. Andstill another object is to devise such an arrangement operable upon adispenser capable of dispensing cigarettes, cigars or other cylindricalarticles.

One feature of the invention resides in the arrangement of a mechanismwherein a plug gate or obstruction is automatically applied to acoinslot of a coin-controlled dispenser under either of twocircumstances, one in which no more articles to be dispensed remain inthe dispenser. And the other in which the dispenser apparatus becomesinoperative, as by jamming of the movable parts therein, or the like. Insuch a mechanism, there are provided finger, lever or other such meansnormally pressed against an article to be dispensed while the article isin its last stage or step of being dispensed. While so pressed, themeans are repressed or restrained from closing an electrical circuitwhich includes coin-slot plug or closure extendable or impellable intothe coin-slot. When no article is present to restrain the lever means,spring or other pressure moves the lever means to an abnormal positionwhereupon they bring about the closing of the electrical circuit whichcauses the closure to be impelled into the coin-slot to close it toprevent entry therein of a coin. The closure with its electrical circuitand its mechanisms can be reset or restored to initial position in anysuitable manner.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription. In the accompanying drawings, there has been illustratedthe best embodiment of my invention known to me, but such embodiment isto be regarded as typical only oi many possible embodiments and myinvention is not to be limited thereto.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a partial side elevation of a cigarettedispenser having my invention incorporated therein, with parts brokenaway. Figure 2 is a back elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 1with parts broken away. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of theelectrical circuit controlling the coin-entry prohibiting mechanism, andFigure 4 is an assembly view like Figure 1 but more complete.

This invention for governing the entry of coins in the coin slot incoin-controlled dispensers is applicable to many types of suchdispensers but for the purpose of clearly illustrating it, I have shownit embodied in a cigarette dispenser of the kind disclosed in my patentapplication Serial Number 566,674.

In the cigarette dispenser shown, the insertion of a coin in thecoin-slot ll closes an electrical circuit (not shown) which energizes amotor [2 which through a train of gearing including a multilated gear l3intermittently rotates a cigarette discharging conveyor or drum Itprovided with cigarette holding grooves l5 and 16, for removing onecigarette at a time from the reservoir. A cigarette ll from cigarettereservoir or container 18 drops into groove l5 from a throat l9extending from the reservoir [8 when groove l5 registers therewith.Rotation of the drum l4 carries its cigarettes into alignment with aglowing igniter element and pauses an instant when such alignment isreached to permit the cigarette to become lighted. These features arenot shown herein. Then movement of the drum begins again and finally alighted cigarette is expelled into discharge tray 20. The device isneatly housed in casing 2|.

When the dispenser is empty of cigarettes or the mechanism thereof isout of order, it is desirable that a would-be purchaser of a cigarettebe prevented from inserting a coin in the coinslot of the device, so tothat end there is provided means for closing the coin-slot ll againstcoin entry thereinto. These means comprise a reciprocable or impellableclosure or plug 22 operating in a slot 23 in the coin-slot II to enterand close the same. The plug 22 is provided with shoulders 24 and 25,the latter having a bevelled face 26. The closure plug 22 has a stem 21and by a spring 28 is normally pressed inwardly into the coin-slot llinto coin entry prohibiting position. But a spring finger or pawl 29engages shoulder of the plug to hold the plug out of coin entryprohibiting position, as shown in Figure 3. Associated with springfinger 29 and with a contact point 30, is a solenoid or electro-magnet3|. Also with shoulder 24 of the closure plug 22 is associated aspringfingered switch or circuit closer 32. Solenoid 3| and switch 32 are inan electrical circuit 33 which includes contact points 34 and 35.Cooperating with the points 34 and 35 respectively, are contact points36 and 31. Point 31 is carried by a policing or sentinel swinging lever38 pivoted at 39 with an upset or bent arm 40. The opposite arm has adoubled back portion or shoe 4|.

Arm enters a slot 42 in the wall 43 of the throat IQ of the cigarettereservoir, and is substantially aligned with said wall. When there is acigarette in the throat 19, which is the last stage of passage of acigarette from the reservoir to concurrent lighting and delivery, thearm 40 of the lever by pressing inwardly against the cigarette causesthe other arm 38 to be tilted upwardly whereby the contact 36 is keptaway from the contact 34 so that the circuit 33 is thus maintained open.So long as the circuit is maintained open, the coin slot closure 22 isheld retracted and coins can pass freely down the coin slot II.

The lever 38 has a duplicate thereof spaced therefrom whosecorresponding-arm 38', pivot 39, short vertical arm 48 and shoe 4!correspond to the same unprimed numbers associated with the lever 38.The second lever 38 and the first lever 38 are pivoted preferably on apivot rod 44 which is in the electrical circuit 33. The vertical arm 48of the lever 38' enters a slot 42 in the wall 43 of the cigarettereservoir.

In order to relieve the pressure of the lever arms 40 and 40 during thepassage of the cigarette past the same in the throat ill of thereservoir, there are provided cam means actuated by a timing mechanismcontrolled or driven from the cigarette conveyer or delivery mechanism,causing the cam means to effect a periodical relief of the pressure insynchronism with the period of removal of an article by the deliverymechanism. In other words a cam having a detent or recess'46 therein isarranged to be rotated and timed preferably from the mutilated gear l3.The surface of the cam 45 and its detent 46, against which rides theshoe 4| is so arranged that during the passage of a cigarette out of thethroat l9 of the cigarette reservoir into the groove of the drum l4,pressure of the lever arm 40 thereon is relieved enough so that norestriction or impediment because of undue pressure thereon will beoffered to the next succeeding cigarette passing down the throat l9 intoposition ready I plug 22 extends into and closes the coin-slot ll.

It is necessary to have two spaced apart levers 38 and 38' in order tooperate the closing of the coin-slot if a cigarette jams in the throatl8. It is possible that instead of an orderly descent of the cigarettesthrough the throat, as indicated in the drawings, for some reason suchas an accumulation of tobacco crumbs, or misalignment, a cigarette mayget tilted out of horizontal position. In such a case whereas one levermay have its short arm 40 pressing against the cigarette to keep thecircuit 33 open and the machine in operative condition, the other lever,by means of its short arm 48', will have no cigarette to bear against,so that it will pivotally turn or swing until contacts 31, 35 touchwhereupon the circuit 33 is closed and the plug 22 will be projectedinto the coin-slot to prevent the entry thereinto of the coin.

When circuit 33 is closed, solenoid 3| isenergized which pulls pawl 29away from shoulder 25 of the coin-slot plug or gate 22 whereupon thespring 28 forces the plug into coin prohibiting position. Thus, themachine is rendered inoperative by a would-be purchaser of cigarettes inwhich condition it remains until an attendant restores the plug tocoin-operating position as shown in Figure 3. As soon as the plug 22 isreleased by action of the solenoid 3|, and the spring 28 forces the plugor obstruction into the coinslot, the spring switch 32 is opened whichbreaks the circuit 33 so that the solenoid 3| is no longer energizedwhereby no current will be consumed during that interval ofinoperability of the machine until an attendant comes to restore theparts to operative condition.

In operation, the parts are normally as shown whereby a purchaser isfree to drop a coin down the coin-slot II which operates the vendingmachine to discharge a lighted cigarette or other article to bedispensed thereby. This particular type of vending machine forms no partof this invention but is disclosed to show one form of application of mycoin-slot policing device. The coin in this particular vending machinecloses the circuit to motor I2 which by means of a gearing includingmutilated gear 13 rotates the drum or conveyor l4, with its cigarette I!in groove 13, past the igniting device and discharges a lightedcigarette into tray 20.

As soon as groove l6 comes around into alignment with throat l9 from thecigarette container or reservoir 18, the cigarette then at the exit ofthe throat 19 drops into the groove 16 and is ready to be discharged ordelivered to the next operator of the machine. But rotation of themutilated gear l3 to cause rotation of the drum I 4, rotates cams 45 ofwhich there is one for each lever 38 and 38', so that the levers 38 and38 are tilted or swung clockwise on their pivots to relieve pressure onthe cigarettes in the throat l9 just enough to permit without anyretardation the necessary displacement of each cigarette therein onestep toward its position for delivery to the drum.

If no cigarette is present, the levers 38 and 38 will fallcounter-clockwise and close the circuit 33 to project the plug 22 intothe coin slot II. If the cigarette has become misplaced, one or theother of levers 38 and 38' will fall counter-clockwise and close thecircuit to extend the plug 22 to prohibit or prevent entry of coins inthe slot.

It will thus be seen that I have devised a sentinel or policing meansassociated with the feed of cigarettes or other cylindrical devices tobe fed to a dispensing or discharging conveyor whereby in the event ofabsence of suchdevices to be vended or the misplacement of such devices,the policing or sentinel means will automatically operate to prevent theentry of coins in the coinslot by any would-be purchaser of. an articlesold by the machine. Obviously, the policing means could be used todivert a coin in the coin-slot back to the would-be purchaser, if suchfunction was desired.

I claim:

1. In a coin-controlled dispenser having a. coinslot, a container havinga throat from which articles pass to be dispensed, a delivery mechanismfor removing one article at a time from said container throat, a coinobstruction extendable into said slot, a lever normally pressed againstarticles in said throat, means for controlling the pressure of saidlever against said articles. and means operable by the swinging of saidlever for causing said obstruction to obstruct the passage of a cointhrough said slot.

2. In a coin-controlled dispenser having a coinslot, 9. container havinga throat through which articles pass to be dispensed, a deliverymechanism for removing one article at a time from said container throatincluding a discharging conveyor, means for driving said conveyor, acoin obstruction extendable into said slot, an element normally pressedagainst an article in said throat and thus by the presence of an articlein said throat is kept from entering said throat, said elementconsequently being free to move with respect to said throat when thelatter is free from articles normally passing therethrough, electriccontact means associated with said element and operable to be opened andclosed respectively incident to the movement of said element, anelectric circuit controlled by said contact means, solenoid controlledmeans in said circuit operable by the energizing of the solenoid torender said extendable coin obstruction effective in said slot, meansfor controlling the period of pressure of said element against saidarticles, which last mentioned means comprise a timing mechanism drivenfrom said driving means so as to effect a periodical relief of saidpressure in synchronism with the period of removal of an article by saiddelivery mechanism.

DONALD B. LANE.

